Interviewer/Therapist:

My name is Marjorie Colindres and I am a bilingual licensed clinical social worker for Olimene Counseling, Inc.  I have been working in the field of social work since 2012.  My areas of expertise have been to work with children, adolescent

During this time, I have been engaging in active listening to support children, teens, and families.  Through this experience, I have met people who have been quite resilient because they used their protective factors to meet and exceed their expectations.  A teen who I will call “Nathan” shared his wisdom in an interview.  The purpose of this interview is to empower youth to proactively use their protective factors to maintain socially, emotionally, and mentally healthy.

Interviewee(Nathan):

1. When you found out that you were going to be doing E-learning, how did you feel?

   1. Personally, I felt worried and overwhelmed. I didn’t want to have to worry about school subjects during a pandemic, but the workload is...

Introduction:  SSW Group Activities We Love

In this blog, I will share various group activities that I have found to be effective for students at different grade levels.  The Google Slide (collected here in a short video) was created with current school social work students from Loyola University Chicago.  In every slide, I share how each activity is linked to the Danielson Framework for teacher evaluation (more on that below), as well as the SEL standards established by CASEL.

Making A Good Environment For SSW Groups

I have found that it is important that the environment where you conduct the groups is inviting for students.  The environment sets the tone and mood for students.  When students walk into your office, they need to feel welcomed as well. Here’s what my office looks like at my school:

Danielson Framework

Additionally, according to the Danielson Framework for School Social Workers it is vital that school social workers create goals and objectiv...